"We are considering a staged approach to its launch and will be making sure there is a four-week transition period during which people will be able to choose whether they buy through CloudStore or Digital Marketplace."

"We plan to start the transition period by the end of August 2014. Provided the transition goes smoothly we aim to switch off the CloudStore by the end of September 2014," it said.

The G-Cloud programme allows public sector bodies to gain access to cloud-based IT services being offered by a selected list of pre-approved suppliers during a set period. The government previously said that the availability of "off the shelf" IT solutions would allow public sector bodies to "use what they need when they need it" and avoid duplication of services that cannot be shared.

Central government departments are subject to a "cloud first" policy that requires them to consider cloud-based IT solutions before other options.

The departments can only deviate from using cloud-based IT solutions where they can show that alternative offerings offer "better value for money" than the products and services available through the CloudStore.